


Doing Something Special

by kira_katrine



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Birthdays, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-05
Updated: 2020-09-05
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:40:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26311297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kira_katrine/pseuds/kira_katrine
Summary: Tilly wants to do something really special for Michael's birthday.
Relationships: Michael Burnham & Sylvia Tilly
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20
Collections: Friendship Flash Fall 2020





	Doing Something Special

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Shadaras](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadaras/gifts).



“Ensign Tilly?”

_ Whoops _ . Tilly hadn’t meant to space out in the middle of her shift in engineering--she’d been observing the spores, and they really were gorgeous, the sample she’d taken glittering inside the jar like the stars of their own little galaxy--but then she’d glanced down at her console, and right there had been her to-do list, with all the new items she’d just added to it--and then she’d remembered why she’d added them, remembered the other list she kept with all her friends’ birthdays on it, and how she’d realized Michael had never really mentioned hers so she’d looked it up in the ship’s database and found out that it was just two weeks away and she had to get  _ something _ figured out by then--

“Ensign Tilly, this last spike is mislabeled,” Stamets said as Tilly glanced up guiltily.

“Sorry,” she said quickly. “I just lost count of--”

“Just don’t do it again,” Stamets said, and turned back to his own work.

At the end of the shift, as the rest of the crew left engineering, Tilly hung back, waiting for Stamets. Finally, he seemed to notice her standing there.

“If you’re worried about your mistake earlier,” he said, “it was only noteworthy because you normally make so few of them. Certainly not a good habit to get into, but--”

“Actually--no, that’s not what I wanted to talk about,” Tilly said, feeling a bit embarrassed all over again.

“Well, what was it, then?”

“So, I found out that Michael’s birthday is in a couple of weeks and I really wanted to plan something super cool and fun to surprise her, like a party maybe, and I wondered if you wanted to help out with it?” Tilly asked.

“And why in the world am I the person you chose to go to with this?” It was true that Stamets perhaps wasn’t a natural choice for party-planning help, but it wasn’t like he’d have to do all that much--Tilly was going to have plenty of people working on this. “Would not perhaps Lieutenant Detmer have been a better choice?”

“Oh, I’m going to ask her to help me too,” Tilly said.  _ I’m sure she’ll have tons of awesome suggestions! _ “I just haven’t seen her yet today, you know, since I’ve been here all morning. But her and Owo can both totally help, and Rhys, and Bryce, and Dr. Culber if you think he--”

“Hold on. Just how many people are you getting involved in this thing?”

“Well, if you and all them join, that’ll make seven of us doing the actual planning,” Tilly said, “but I want to get as many more as I can to actually come, from in here, and on the bridge crew and everything, I mean, everyone I know loves Michael, and they should, she’s amazing and she just needs to know it so I think all of them--”

“I’m not saying you’re wrong,” Stamets said, “but are you sure that’s what  _ she _ actually wants to do on her birthday?”

“I--” That was the kind of thing she’d tried to do for the other friends of hers on their birthdays, and everyone she’d invited really had fun--including Michael, who’d been at some of them when she had time and seemed to enjoy herself--so she’d figured Michael deserved even more on her own birthday--but she knew Michael didn’t always want to do those things. “Maybe I got a bit carried away--I just really wanted to make it fun and awesome and--”

“I know,” Stamets said. “And Burnham is lucky to have a friend like you. But before you plan anything else, I recommend you talk to her first.”

Tilly knew Stamets was probably right--but she still felt uneasy. Like maybe Michael would think it was weird that Tilly even cared so much, that if Michael hadn’t known anything until she was suddenly surprised with a party and presents and everything she’d be too distracted by all the fun stuff to think about that too hard.

But she’d have to put that aside. Doing this right was more important.

* * *

Tilly was already sitting on her bed when Michael came back to their quarters that evening. She’d been too excited and nervous to eat much at dinner, her original plans to get the rest of their friends in on the Michael’s-birthday festivities on hold for the time being. She’d rushed back to the room afterwards only to find that Michael wasn’t even there. Probably still working somewhere. So once her roommate did get back, Tilly didn’t want to waste any time.

“So I was wondering what kind of thing you maybe wanted to do for your birthday?”

A look of mild surprise crossed Michael’s face, then passed. “You know, I hadn’t really thought about it much,” she said. “What with everything else going on.”

“Right. Sorry,” Tilly said.

“No, you don’t have to be sorry,” Michael said. “I really had almost forgotten it was even coming up.”

“It’ll be your first one on board the Discovery,” Tilly said. “What with all the time skips and stuff that have happened, wow, there have been a bunch of those--and if you think about it technically it’s your nine-hundred and sixty-first birthday, I don’t think anyone’s ever had one of those before, except the other people here, I guess--I mean, do you want to do something special? Because it’s the first one with us?”

“Yeah, it would be, wouldn’t it,” Michael said, smiling slightly. “I’m guessing you already had something in mind?”

“Well, sort of,” Tilly said, “but it’s your birthday, you should get to have a say, I mean, surely you have some kind of opinions or feelings or something about it?”

Michael was quiet for several moments. A thought occurred to Tilly. “Have you ever… had a birthday party before?” she asked.

“Well, when I was a little kid, yes,” Michael said. “But after I started living on Vulcan… my mother tried to make them special for me, one way or another, but they don’t make it a big deal there usually the way humans do.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Tilly said. “But what about on the Shenzhou? I mean, it seemed like you and Captain Georgiou were close, did she ever--”

“That’s not what Starfleet captains are typically in the business of doing.”

Tilly made a mental note to add that to the list of things she was absolutely going to change when she became a starship captain. “Well, that just means we have to make this one even more special,” Tilly said. “Make up for all the ones you missed!”

“I don’t know,” Michael said. “I appreciate the thought, Tilly--I really do. But I think I’d just like to spend it with you and our other friends. No need to get the whole crew involved.”

“I--” Tilly began, but Michael cut her off.

“In case that was what you were thinking. I remember the party you set up for Rhys’s birthday, and that was great for him, I know he loved it, but I’m not sure it’s really me.”

Tilly remembered her own fifteenth birthday party--or rather, what was supposed to have been her fifteenth birthday party. No one had shown up. She’d sat alone by the window, surrounded by balloons and streamers, waiting for someone, any of the people she’d invited to come walking up to the apartment. She’d wondered what she’d done wrong.

And then, someone had come up. It was May Ahearn, carrying a small, gift-wrapped box. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” May had said, and Tilly had been so relieved to see anyone at all that she hadn’t even cared, had reassured May that it was fine. The two of them had talked and laughed for hours, about the books they’d read and the goofy new lyrics they made up to their favorite songs and embarrassing moments and dreams for the future. They’d stayed there long after the party was supposed to have ended and May’s father had been waiting outside and Tilly’s mother had insisted May go home. It had ended up being one of the most fun birthdays Tilly had ever had. 

Tilly had always tried to be that person for everyone else. Her constant need to reach out to people who seemed lonely or out of place meant she was often in the position of being someone’s first or only friend. Which sometimes left her wondering if those people would still hang around her if they had other options. Even now, with junior high further behind her than she’d ever imagined.

“You’re sure?” Tilly said. 

“Absolutely,” Michael said. “Everyone on this crew is incredible, and I appreciate every single one of them so much for everything they’ve done--but you’re really something special. I’m really glad I’ve come to see that.”

“Thanks,” Tilly said. “I’m really glad too.”


End file.
